Ad Hockers talked this morning of subtle signs and symbols that indicate to individuals whether a place is worth exploring for them specifically.
Some look for those who look like themselves — age, race, clothing and more. Others look for sparks of creativity or independent thought in public places. In rural areas, a sign or symbol to a Millenial, for example, might be that high-speed interest service is fast — that someone could live out of their phone. Most people who see Lindsborg for the first time are just trying to put themselves on our streets as visitors or in our neighborhoods, homes and classrooms for a longer-term stay. What would it be like to get out and walk around? What would life be like here? How do people find their way around, find friends? Outside job and church, where are crossroads to connect? Places to exercise and learn? Coffeeshops and bars? Volunteer opportunities? It’s important to constantly reassess our community through the eyes of someone new or with a background different than our own. What are the signs and symbols that are friendly to other eyes? So we asked ourselves: What new signals might we be able to send to people of a variety of backgrounds in the coming year? We’ll be talking about this again next week. Meanwhile, we identified one improvement that are acting on immediately. We will be including a general message “from your Lindsborg neighbors” in each of the welcome bags that local business and organizations offer to new city utility customers. These bags already are popular — and we can do a better job affirming new residents’ choice and show them specific ways to wade in to our community. Much work to do. If you have ideas, tell an Ad Hocker or better yet, come sit in from 8-9 a.m. most Mondays at City Hall. ___________________ An ongoing challenge for Lindsborg is telling its story in a nation (heavens, even in our own state) where fewer people than ever have experienced rural quality of life. We thought you would enjoy reading how Jim Prugh describes to his colleagues in the vacation rental industry his historic preservation projects in Lindsborg that blends with short-term rentals (STR, in the parlance). At the following link, Jim speaks with an editor at “Rent Responsibly,” which advocates and celebrates the huge world of vacation rentals. He makes the case for rural places among his vacation rental colleagues nationally. Thanks, Jim! https://medium.com/rent-responsibly/rent-responsibly-makes-its-mark-in-kansas-5baeb4e4c80d?mc_cid=6a9d21e95e&mc_eid=f9c9f4fc56 _______________________ Pondering economics and partnerships along the growing I-135 corridor? Here’s a piece from a online publication spearheaded by the Bastian family in Wichita on a website called The Chung Report: https://thechungreport.com/wichitas-regional-economy-explained/
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